BOUVARDIA

Bouvardia are named after Parisian doctor Charles Bouvard, personal physician to Louis XIII and director of the Jardin des Plantes. Bouvardia until only recently were not common flowers. Now, however, they are a florists favourites and are frequently used in bouquets as a very strong accent flower. If you study them closely, you find loose clusters of tubular starlet flowers fringed with leaves and carried on tall stalks. Each stem, resembles a small bouquet in bright firework colours. They also have a faint delicate scent, and their closest relatives are the fabulously fragrant gardenias.

They are native to Mexico, and were introduced to the UK in 1854. They're chiefly grown in sub-tropical zones and under glass in Holland in shades of pinks and red as well as white, and are available all year round. They have wonderful names like 'Pink Luck', 'Royal Katty' and 'Albatross'.

Cut the stems at a slant with a sharp knife and don't forget to use the special flower food usually provided for bouvardia. They are particularly prone to water loss and should not be left out of water. If you do not have the special flower food, recut the stems frequently and remove excess foliage.

Related Flowers : Amaranthus Flowers Amaryllis Flowers Amaryllis Flowers Anemones Flowers Ammi Flowers Antirhinnums Snapdraggons Flowers Anemone Flowers Appleblossoms Flowers Anigozanthos Flowers Asters Flowers